


Ganze Nuss

by traumschwinge



Series: Chocolatier AU [5]
Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Homesickness, M/M, Multi, Play Fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 17:15:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4885078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumschwinge/pseuds/traumschwinge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As they say, when the cat's away the mice will play. So when Erik gets called of for a weekend to help out his best friend, Charles and Logan have the entire Saturday to themselves. Logan takes full advantage of that, breaking one or two of the rules Erik's a bit stricter about. Like the kitchen table is for food, don't make a mess, or the no-junkfood rule. <br/>The night, however, holds a nasty surprise Charles is not prepared for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ganze Nuss

**Author's Note:**

> If you came here looking for Cherik and nothing else, GO AWAY. I only added that one for completion. This is a THREESOME SHIP fic that focuses on XAVIERINE.

Even Charles could hear Erik arguing as soon as Erik entered the building. It didn't need any heightened senses like Logan's to hear him all the way up the stairs. He didn't even pause to unlock the door with the keys, but simply unlocked them with his powers. He dropped his bag by the door, took off shoes and coat and went straight for the study Charles had by now half taken over—just waving an absent minded hello to Charles and Logan in the livingroom while he listened to the other party on the phone.

Charles and Logan exchanged a look. "Emma," Logan mouthed. Charles had only met Emma a couple of times but it still amazed him that Erik was friends with a person Logan felt so obviously threatened by. Though maybe friends was the wrong word. They were also—Logan and Erik would say mostly—business partners and had gone to university together, as Emma liked to remind Logan. Charles suspected her constantly antagonizing Logan was just one reason why they didn't get along. From all they acted around each other there had to be more Charles didn't know about.

When Erik emerged roughly ten minutes later, he looked beat. He went straight for the couch and sat down next to Logan. If they'd been any other couple, Charles was sure Erik would have climbed directly onto Logan's lap and searched for comfort in his embrace. As it were, Erik just propped his head on one arm and looked slightly miserable.

"What did the white witch of the west want this time?" Logan asked when Erik didn't offer an explanation on his own.

"Me," Erik sighed. Charles could feel a sudden, powerful pang of jealousy from Logan. But Erik wasn't finished yet, "And Alex, if possible. Apparently the caterer she found for some shareholder event is amazing at food but rubbish at desert." He sighed again. "The pay is good."

"Since when are you doing event catering?" Charles asked.

Logan glowered a little when he turned in Charles' direction. "Since never. And he's not starting now," he growled. "Right?"

"The pay is really good," Erik sighed. "And..." He shrugged. "It was Emma who asked. I can't leave her hanging. I owe her."

Logan huffed. "You paid her back a long time ago."

"She's still my friend," Erik snapped back. "And it's my decision to help her out. Which I will by the way. Unless you have good reason to stop me, I'll be gone the entire next weekend."

"I don't like it," Logan grumbled. "That's all."

"Because it's Emma?" Erik pulled a face. "I like her."

"I know," Logan huffed. "But I still don't. She likes to get on my nerves."

"She likes getting on everyone's nerves." Erik rolled his eyes. "That's where she draws her power from if you ask me." He raised an eyebrow and looked at Logan from the corner of his eyes to see if he would react to that.

"Are you saying she runs on the annoyance of other people?" Logan smirked halfheartedly for Erik's effort.

Charles couldn't help but roll his eyes and think an exasperated _boys_ at them. He knew it was just their way of working things out.

It was exactly the wrong thing, apparently. Logan leaned closer to Erik and asked him, but mostly in Charles' direction, "Do you think all telepaths are drawing energy from people like that?"

Erik hummed. "I think you're right. I could swear Charles tries to be adorable and overall lovable on purpose."

"Are you sure it's not chocolate in his case?" Logan smirked. "Or is that just to achieve overall adorable squishiness?"

That was when Charles gave up any pretense of adulthood and just threw a cushion at Logan's face. "I am pretty sure you liked my 'overall adorable squishiness'," he huffed. "You can take me with you to work out if you don't."

"Or you could just work out more in bed with us," Logan grinned.

Charles shook his head laughing. "First you insult me, now you want to sleep with me? Very suave, Logan. Did you spend too much time with small children again?"

"Oh, if I'd just spent enough time with adults outside of work, it might not be as bad." Logan smirked. "At least I look older than my kids. You, on the other hand..."

Charles opened his mouth to reply but caught Erik's mental image of Logan as a small, but still bearded and grumpy child and the wave of amusement that came with it. He burst out laughing.

"What?" Logan asked. He frowned at Charles and then at Erik when he started laughing too. His grip on his telepathy slightly shaky from the laughter, Charles shared the mental image with Logan as well.

"So," Erik started when they were done laughing. "Can I leave you two alone for the weekend or not? I need to call Alex with the 'good' news that he's getting paid overtime whether he likes it or not."

"Yeah, sure, go be a slave to the evil witch for two days," Logan said. He kissed Erik's cheek. "It's fine. I know you can't say no."

"And I don't get a word in?" Charles laughed.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You and Emma get along."

"We have an understanding, yes," Charles allowed. "So I don't get a say because I don't want to turn her to schaschlik whenever we talk?"

"Precisely," Logan smirked.

Charles huffed. "Unbelievable." He looked past Logan at Erik. "I hope she won't make you work too hard," he told him.

"Yeah," Erik sighed. "So do I."

*~*~*

With Erik gone since Friday evening, neither Charles nor Logan saw much reason to leave the bed right after waking up. Instead, they spent a long while just cuddling in bed, both only half awake and content in the moment.

They had breakfast late, nothing cooked, just fruit and bread. It still took it's time. There was no reason to hurry and they simply enjoyed taking their Saturday as it came. Logan had promised to drop by Erik's café for an hour or two for the afternoon rush, but that was still hours away. Charles looked forward to a quiet afternoon with some reading and maybe a little preparation for next week's lessons.

"Charles?" Logan started up a conversation when they were almost done eating. Charles looked up, still a little bleary eyed even after two cups of tea. "I was thinking. Cell's are pretty simple, right?"

Charles raised his eyebrows.

Logan shrugged. "Some of my kids are really fascinated with breaking down stuff and plants and so on lately, so I thought it would be a good idea to do a crafting project around that topic," he explained. "And cells sounded more fun that chemic elements. Also fits better with the flower and vegetable pads we've been tending to with the kids."

Charles hummed. "I think that could work, but you'd have to put it a little more child friendly, maybe," he mused. "I can do a refresher with you about cells and try out craft projects if you want."

"I already looked into a few," Logan admitted. "A cell out of carton and papermaché looks doable for the older kids. It's just glueing strings and balls of paper to carton and then painting it. Or better yet use colored paper." He shrugged. "I still have to try different materials."

"And what do you need me for then?" Charles chuckled.

"To make sure I don't screw up and forget something important," Logan smiled back. "And maybe help me figure out what to tell them before we make the cells. A little story, maybe?"

"I'll see what I can do. Cells and so on aren't exactly my department."

Logan waved a hand. "It doesn't have all that exact. Just some general facts. I'm sure you'll help. They're kindergarteners, not exactly about to leave for Uni."

"Okay, fine." Charles laughed. "I'll help, I'll help."

"Thanks, Chuck." Logan leaned over for a kiss.

Logan busied himself with cleaning and other household chores after breakfast. He claimed that he couldn't concentrate on any crafting projects when he knew he had to leave in a couple of hours. Charles suspected it had more to do with Erik not being home and Logan wanting to prove that he could be left in charge of the cleaning just as well. Charles helped in his own way, by taking over the shopping for the weekend and staying out of Logan's way.

When Charles got back with two bags full of food, exhausted and cursing under the weight, Logan was just about to get dressed for a shift or half a shift at the café. Charles hadn't even known Logan owned a white dress shirt. He knew the tight black trousers, though, and it took Logan far longer to get dressed than usual thanks to the combination.

"I'll be back in a bit," Logan assured Charles when he was finally able to close the last button on his shirt. "Then you can take it off all over again, Chuck."

"Can't you just stay here and let me take it off right away?" Charles purred. "You're not an employee of the café."

"No, but if I don't go, Erik will know that I lie to him when he calls tonight and asks me if they burned down his place," Logan sighed, pulling Charles hands away. "I'll be back in three hours max. Or I'll call. Now go grade some tests or whatever it is you do."

"Fine," Charles sighed. "You could just take me with you. I used to work as a bartender when I was a grad student, you know?"

Logan kissed Charles. "I also know the last time you touched the coffee maker Erik had to save you from the steam nozzle of the foamer." He ruffled Charles hair. "See you in a bit, Chuck. I'll bring dinner."

"But I already bought everything to cook dinner," Charles called after Logan.

Door already in hand, Logan called back, "Erik's not here. I don't know about you, but I crave junk food."

"I just would have liked a warning," Charles mumbled when he was alone. He shook his head and picked up his laptop to maybe do some reading while he had the peace and quiet for it.

In the end, it was almost six by the time Logan came back, looking worn and tired, but proudly presenting Charles with a white plastic bag. It contained two triangular, alu-wrapped somethings each about the size of a small honey melon. "What's this?" Charles asked. He sniffed. "What...?" He looked up just to find Logan looking at him with his mouth hanging slightly open.

"How did you live in this city for so long without ever having _[Döner](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_kebab#/media/File:Doener_berlin_kraeuter.jpg)_ at least once?" Logan gasped. "Sorry, kebab. I'm pretty sure you do eat food to sustain yourself. How could you go so long without it?"

"Only pretty sure?" Charles raised an eyebrow. He carefully started to open the wrapping at the top. Logan grabbed the second, evidently hungry from the speed with which he opened the kebab. "How do you eat that thing?" Charles wondered, turning the stuffed flatbread this way and that.

"Hm?" Logan made a questioning sound, his mouth too full to answer properly. From what Charles could see, he'd just bitten off a mouthful of the kebab. Charles tried but found it either too large for his mouth or the filling shifting in such ways he was almost certain all of it would come out if he dug in.

"Ok, this is not going to work," he sighed. Under Logan's questioning glance, he went to the kitchen and got himself a plate and a fork.

"Heretic," Logan snorted when Charles returned to the coffee table where Logan had already eaten his way through half his kebab.

"Hey, if I leave red cabbage stains on the upholstery, you're not going to save me from Erik's wrath," Charles laughed. He started to eat himself. "Ok," he said between bites. "For raw cabbage, salad and mystery meat stripes in jogurt sauce, this is good. It shouldn't, but it is."

"If you're ever struck by the food gods don't blame me, you heretic," Logan snorted. "There's a reason they give you napkins with your order."

"Ok ok fine," Charles sighed. "I have to admit it's a wonder that I never tried something as good as this."

"Very good," Logan hummed. They ate for a while in silence, only occasionally bumping their knees against each other. Every now and then, Charles looked at Logan, but couldn't find the right words so he said nothing. It was just the feeling he was missing something, or better someone.

"Hey, I did some reading on cells and children's stories this afternoon," Charles started up when his plate was finally empty. "What if you do an imaginary journey through the cell walls to the core and back out?"

It took a moment for Logan to snap out of whatever thoughts he was currently stuck on. But when he turned to Charles a few seconds later, he was smiling. "That doesn't sound half bad, thanks, Chuck." He looked over to the closed door that led to the study. "I get the paper and things if you draw me what a cell looks like. We could work the project out together."

Charles laughed. "You can do that and I'll clear the dinner table. But I have to warn you, I'm all thumbs when it comes to crafting."

"You can't be any worse than a kindergartener, and they all do just fine." Logan had already gotten up.

Charles followed his example and went to the kitchen to clear the big table there of anything that might not take well to paint or glue stains. In the same time, Logan went back and forth between the kitchen and the study a couple of times, bringing blank paper, pens, glue and colorful crepe paper back with him.

They started out with Charles sketching a cell on two sheets of paper, then Logan showed and explained what he intended to do, sticking pink, orange and green balls of crepe paper on the drawn cell and using brown paper to build the walls. One large blue ball was supposed to be the core or vacuole from what Charles gathered.

Charles did his best to follow Logan's example, but even though it looked so easy when Logan did it, dipping crepe paper into glue without letting it soak through and then getting it to stick to the paper instead of his fingers was hard. Soon enough, Charles' hands were speckled with colorful stains and he had glue in his hair from the one time he'd tried to push his bangs back with sticky fingers. Logan mostly just watched him or was busy with whatever he had to plan for the children so they could do it as well.

At least Charles had thought so, concentrated on his own horrible crafting accident as he was. Thus distracted, he didn't notice the spark of mischief in Logan's mind until it was too late. Charles had to pluck the big, soggy red paper ball from his nose.

"Very funny," he deadpanned. Logan was shaking with laughter. "Just you wait..."

"For what? You can't get paper to not stick to your gluey fingers," Logan laughed, already preparing the next paper balls to stick to Charles' face. "Look, this one even goes well with your eyes," he said, trying, and eventually succeeding despite Charles defenses, to stick a blue ball to Charles' cheek.

"No, but I can do this!" Charles ran his glue stained hands through Logan's hair.

Logan stared at him. His eyes narrowed. He pulled Charles' hands out of his hair. "You didn't," he whispered. He shifted his grip on Charles' hands so he could hold both wrists in one hand. Charles struggled a little, knowing full well Logan would let go if he struggled for real. "You didn't just..." Logan repeated before he took a couple of prepared smaller balls and dropped them unceremoniously over Charles' head.

"Unfair," Charles protested. He managed to free a hand, grab a bit of crepe and some more glue so he could leave a stain across Logan's face.

"You..." Logan laughed, finally losing grip on Charles other hand as well.

"I what?" Charles chuckled, reaching for a marker to arm himself against further attacks.

"Come here, you," Logan murmured, pulling Charles on his lap. He easily secured Charles' willing hands again with his own.

Charles leaned down to bring his lips close to Logan's. "And what now, Logan?" he whispered.

"We should wash up," Logan murmured back against Charles' lips.

"Or you could kiss me first," Charles suggested. He licked over Logan's lips.

Logan retaliated by snapping at Charles' lips, capturing the lower between his teeth. He let out a playful growl. "What if I don't want to...?"

"Then I'll have to take what I want," Charles hummed. He buried his hands in Logan's hair again to hold him steady while he kissed him, long and relentless until Logan gave in and kissed him back, fierce and intense.

They somehow made their way onto the kitchen floor without parting their lips. Logan rolled them around so Charles was lying on top of him and he was free to grope and fondle Charles as much as he wanted.

"Now this I like much more than paper craft," Charles sighed happily into the kiss. "Can you scratch just a little higher. There. Yes." He all but melted against Logan's chest.

"And here I thought you wanted to make out," Logan chuckled, but he still indulged Charles in his demands for a back scratch. "Before you fall asleep, I was promised you'd get me out of my clothes. Please? The pants are tight."

"Mmmmmmm, later," Charles hummed, closing his eyes. "More scratching less talking."

Logan let out a slow breath, however he didn't protest anymore and just went on scratching until he could feel Charles slipping back out of his mind again. Even then, though, he didn't ask Charles to get off him again, instead he held him for a little longer until he was getting too uncomfortable to think about much else and Charles decided it was finally time to get up.

They cleaned away the crafting materials together, storing them away in the half of the study Logan still claimed as his with all the kid's drawings and pens and utensils that came with his profession. Most of the time, Charles was too afraid of the sometimes precariously high stacks anyway so they had reached a stable truce. Erik, on the other hand, had conceded right at the start, to only maintaining one small file cabinet and moving the rest of his things to the tiny backroom at the café he called his office. Logan called it "the broom closet".

After they were done, and the dinner table was stain-free, they each showered. Alone, to Charles' slight disappointment, even though he would never follow Logan into the shower without an invitation. Logan had showered first, so by the time Charles stepped out of the cabin, he was gone, but he had brought Charles' pajamas and fresh underwear.

He could hear a faint voice from the bedroom, so he padded over, sending his telepathy out to brush over Logan's mind to announce he was coming and to find out whether he was welcome. Logan answered with a burst of affection and the brief information _Erik called_.

" _...I miss you too_ ," Logan was just saying when Charles entered the room. " _I'll see you tomorrow. ...yes. Do you want to talk to Charles, too? Good. ...yeah. See you tomorrow_."

Charles took the offered phone. "Hello, how are you holding up?" he asked. Logan slipped into bed, patting the mattress next to him for Charles to come do the same.

"I should have been asleep two hour ago," Erik murmured on the other end of the line. He sounded tired. "Gotta be up at four, down in the kitchen by four thirty and kick Alex' ass for oversleeping at about five." He laughed, but even that sounded like he was a second away from falling over.

Charles crawled into Logan's waiting arms. "Why aren't you asleep then?"

"Can't sleep," Erik yawned. "The bed's so empty and cold. Thought it might better if I called. What did you do today?"

Charles looked at Logan, who merely raised an eyebrow and nodded in a 'go ahead' gesture. "Logan stuck paper balls to my face so I smeared glue into his hair," he reported.

It took a while for Erik's quiet laughter to die down. "I almost don't dare to ask but why?"

"Apparently I was too slow at crafting and he was bored. I just retaliated." Charles tried to sound as matter-of-factly as possible, but it was hard to do so when the person he was using as a pillow was shaking with laughter.

"So, next time I'll be leaving you two alone, I'll better hire a babysitter instead of hiring Logan to babysit my café, did I get this right?" Erik laughed. "I love you."

"Me too," Charles murmured back. "Do you want to hear about our dinner?"

"No, thanks, one catastrophe account a day is enough," Erik chuckled.

"But it was delicious!" Charles swooned. "Best idea Logan had this month!"

"So?" For the first time, Erik sounded intrigued. But he also yawned a second later.

"Tomorrow," Charles smiled. "You sound like you should sleep."

"I should," Erik agreed. "Good night then. Kiss Logan good night from me. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Good night, sleep tight," Charles hummed. "I love you too. See you tomorrow."

Erik hung up only seconds later, so Charles then handed the phone back to Logan who put it down on the nightstand on his side. "Erik said to kiss you goodnight," Charles told Logan. They kissed. "Sleep well."

Logan pulled Charles closer, both shifting into a comfortable sleeping position. "Sleep well, Chuck," Logan murmured and just a minute later, he was fast asleep.

*~*~*

Charles woke early the next morning, so early it was still dark as the sun wouldn't rise for another couple of hours. He could distinctly remember having a nightmare, or maybe it'd been Logan's, as his telepathy was too tangled up in Logan's or Erik's mind when they slept. It had been bright in that dream, halls upon halls lit with neon lights. Nothing had happened, except from the shadowy figures taking him from one hallway to the next. It had been so disorienting and strange, nothing like anything Charles had ever experienced. Maybe that was what had woken him up in the end. His mind had realized that it wasn't his dream, that his telepathy had wandered off and invaded someone else's memory, that he'd woken up from it.

He could feel Logan stir next to him, giving him further reason to believe he'd accidently accessed a part of Logan's memory he shouldn't have. They had moved apart in their sleep, with Logan now by the edge of the bed more than an arm's length away from Charles lying in the middle of the other half of the bed. Charles looked over to him when he heard and felt Logan sitting up.

"Logan?" he mumbled sleepily. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry. It's just my telepathy. You can go back to sleep. I'll keep in my own head from now on."

With that, Charles thought he said enough so they could go back to sleep. But Logan made no move to lie back down, he made no move at all. He just sat there, their breathing the only thing audible in the room.

"Logan...?" Charles asked softly. This situation was unsettling him. "I'm going to turn on the light and get out of bed to fetch both of us a glass of water, alright?"

Logan gave no indication he'd even heard Charles. Charles stared at Logan for a moment longer, trying to figure out what bothered him without using his telepathy. He had no idea. So he turned away to flick on the lights.

That turned out to be a mistake. The second he took his eyes off Logan, he felt the mattress move, a sound of metal moving against metal and the part of his mind always monitoring the minds of anyone else for threats no matter what Charles did shrieking out for him to roll off the bed and duck.

Charles scraped his knee and knocked down the lamp from the nightstand, but that was nothing against the angry, animalistic growl from the bed. Desperate to know what was going on, Charles scrambled to his feet, running to the lightswitch by the door. He hit it with his shoulder, turning back around to the bed before he'd even fully reached the door. It was just in time to see Logan pulling three long metal claws out of the pillow Charles had just been sleeping on.

"Logan? What's going on?" Charles whispered, his voice shaking.

Logan's head whipped around towards the sound. He immediately jumped off the bed, coming straight for Charles with his claws still unsheathed and poised as a weapon. Charles had only a few seconds to react, his thoughts replaying the mental image of his head or his body sharing the fate of the pillow.

In his panic, Charles choose the only natural reaction he knew. He raised two shaking fingers to his right temple and, with all his mental, telepathic power, screamed _FREEZE_ and _WAKE UP_ directly into Logan's mind while taking over that very mind to at least make him freeze whether he wanted to or not.

For a few incredibly long moments, Charles just stared at Logan while he waited for his heart and breathing to calm down again. He couldn't even think too much about his mental hold on Logan while he still mostly heard his blood rushing in his ears.

When he finally dared to loosen his hold, he reached out for Logan's cheek at the same time. "Chuck?" Logan whispered, his voice rough. He leaned his head into Charles' hand, his own rushing pulse drumming against the pads of Charles' fingers. Over their mental connection, Charles could feel the panic building up in Logan's chest again as he noticed more and more around himself. "What happened?" he croaked. "Did I...?" The pang of guilt that came with the thought and the rush of memories of other nights when he had woken up just like this, pressed into immobility by an invisible force had Charles stagger where he stood.

"A-are you awake?" His throat was so dry Charles had to swallow so he could get the words out. "What was that?" Slowly, he released Logan's body from his mental grip. He was almost certain Logan wasn't a threat anymore. Not certain enough to stop monitoring his thoughts though.

"I..." Logan shook his head. "How much of my memories did you see?" He sighed. His jaw was set, he was practically projecting his fear that Charles had seen any of them. There were dark places of his mind licking around the corners of his consciousness Charles made an effort to pay no attention to. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Charles shook his head. "No, you didn't, I seized..." ...your mind just in time was what he'd been going to say but when the realization of that hit, he pulled his telepathy in so quickly he staggered back against the door, ramming the handle into his back. Logan lost his footing and stumbled to his knees from the shock. "Oh god, I mindcontrolled you."

Logan turned back to the bed, immediately spotting the sliced up cushion. "Were you sleeping there?" he gasped. "I almost killed you!" Logan sat down on the floor right where he was. "Fucking shit!"

Charles stared at him. "I mindcontrolled you," he repeated. He slid down the wall to the floor.

"If you hadn't, I'd have hurt you," Logan murmured tonelessly. "I'd have hurt you." He sounded like this was a fact, not a possibility. "It was the right thing."

"I should never, never mindcontrol anyone. Especially not somebody I love," Charles moaned.

Logan swallowed. "This... When this happened the first time when Erik was around, I slashes his cheek. He spend a week telling people he cut himself shaving." He took a deep breath. "I'm glad you reacted quicker than him and took immediate, decisive action."

"You think I did the right thing? You're not afraid of me?" Charles asked, gaping a little.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Did you listen to me? I said Erik lied that he cut himself with a metal object," he said slowly. "As long as you're not afraid of me, I don't mind."

"He lied about that?" The corner of Charles' mouth twitched. "Even to Emma?"

"Especially to Emma," Logan grinned.

"Why did he think that idea was a good one?" Charles laughed a little.

"I honestly don't know," Logan was smiling as well. He swallowed. "Can we... Can we wait with the talk until tomorrow? You probably want to go back to sleep."

Charles looked at Logan for a long moment. He desperately wanted an explanation. But he even more wanted to temporarily forget about this night or if possible forget about it entirely and have Logan never mentioning it again. He was still reeling from the fact that he'd used mindcontrol to defend himself, no matter how Logan thought it'd been the right choice. Charles didn't think so. The laughter had dispelled some tension. Not enough, however, for Charles to even consider sleeping again that night. "We," he swallowed. "Can try."

"Couch?" Logan suggested with a glance back at the slashed up cushion. "Or I could stay and lock the door between us if that makes you feel safer."

"A physical object won't stop _me_ ," Charles murmured. He hugged his knees. "I'd rather you came with me. If... If you don't mind being around me?"

Logan shook his head. "I don't mind." He swallowed. "It's the wrong time to call Erik, right?" He ruffled his hair. "He dealt with this shit before." He laughed. "Shit." He buried his head in hands. "Shit. I really thought this was finally under control. It had been. For months. Shit!"

Charles raised his head. It slowly became a realization to him that Logan was at least as upset as he himself was. Maybe even more. He could put his own panic aside for Logan. He knew he could. This was more important. "Logan?" He showed his hand and made sure Logan saw it before he crawled over to him and petted his cheek. "I can make us tea or cocoa."

"Sweets make the worst days better," Logan parrotted one of Erik's favorite sayings. He laughed a little. "Cocoa would be great." He swallowed again. "Thank you"

They found themselves somehow sitting on the couch ten minutes later with a steaming mug of cocoa in their hands. Charles knew logically that he'd made the cocoa in the mugs but it had passed by his mind without him really registering it. Neither of them had brought a blanket over from the bed. They didn't even pretend they planned on sleeping anymore.

Charles leaned his head against Logan's shoulder. He could feel Logan was aching for touch, but he couldn't bring himself to cast his own awkwardness with it aside. Though he would have had let him if Logan had pulled him into his arm, initiating it was something Charles couldn't do.

The silence between them was grating Charles. He racked his mind for something, anything to say. "I still can't believe Erik lied about a shaving accident," he said when he really couldn't come up with anything better. "I thought he was a decent liar."

Logan blinked at him. "He's horrible at it." He shook his head. "When we were in high school, Erik was one of the few people that never were late." Logan smiled fondly at the memory, pushing a picture of how he remembered teenage Erik at Charles. "Only once, once he overslept for almost two hours. Everyone else just would have gotten their parents to call him in sick and made themselves a nice lazy day at home, but he came in after the third period." He grinned. "Erik was so mad at me, you know. I had broken his alarm the day before when we were making out. But at school, he couldn't say anything. So when the teacher asked him why he was this late he lied."

"What did he say?" Charles asked because he knew Logan expected him to.

"At first, he just said he alarm clock was broken," Logan grinned. "But then the teacher asked him how it got broken since Erik never was late to anything, not even when the trains aren't running. So Erik, completely unused to having to come up with excuses to anyone but Edie, said he'd broken it in his sleep with his powers because he had a nightmare. And to prove his case, he reached out and broke the blackboard lights." Logan shared his a little wonky memory of the event with Charles. Erik's expression of shock was surprisingly clear, though. "I think back then he wasn't even aware he could do that. And I'm saying this about a guy who a year later thought about not telling the army that he was jewish, which exempted him from military service, just so he could legally test whether or not he can lift a tank and destroy the electronics of military grade speakers."

"He did that," Charles marvelled. "But he now uses it all the time! Mostly subconscious, too. I know. I checked. Like when he does dishes and the cutlery cleans itself on its own."

Logan shrugged. "Back in school, mutations were just another thing making us different from the rest," he said. "Erik never talked much about it. He liked to pretend he just had an extra sense."

"But then he fried a lightbulb so he was the school's hero?" Charles blinked. That didn't sound much like Erik.

Logan shook his head. "No. When the cat was out the bag, he just pretended nothing had happened." He leaned closer to Charles. "I beat up everyone who talked shit about Erik behind his back."

Charles patted his arm. "You're a good boyfriend."

"I know," Logan laughed. "So, what was that about the dance of the cutlery being subconscious?"

"Well..."

*~*~*

Erik had been going to nap as soon as he was home. He had a long day's work on his feet done already even though it was just early afternoon. But when he unlocked the door and scuffled inside he found the couch was already taken by both his sleeping boyfriends. Smiling to himself, Erik shook his head. They hadn't even cleared away their cocoa mugs. He brought them a blanket and draped it over them. He also threw out the destroyed pillow from the bedroom, cleared and cleaned the mugs, before he went to bed to try nap there.

He got maybe twenty minutes of light sleep, before he was disturbed by Logan crawling into bed next to him. He pretended to be asleep, just like he did five minutes later, when Charles followed.

"I know you're awake," Charles whispered after a while. "You can't sleep with the blinds open."

Erik merely grunted. Logan pulled him a bit closer, so he burrowed his face against the crook of Logan's neck, breathing in the soothing familiar scent. He really had missed this the last two nights.

For another maybe twenty minutes, Erik honestly tried to fall asleep. He wanted to, but as much as he hated it, Charles was right. It was next to impossible for him to fall asleep in broad daylight. When he finally gave up, he first stretched to kiss Logan. Then, he leaned over to hug and kiss Charles as well.

"Welcome home," Charles murmured. "We're glad you're back."

"I noticed," Erik chuckled. He held Charles tight for a second. _Are you hurt?_ he asked over the tentative connection Charles had established. "Busy night without me? Couldn't wait with the fun 'til I was back, huh?"

_I-I'm fine,_ Charles answered, only reluctantly using his mental voice. If Erik wanted to talk like this instead of out loud he probably didn't want Logan to overhear. _I just... Give me a bit of time to get the feeling for telepathy again. Last night..._ He shared his memories in the hope Erik would find them easier to understand than mere words, keeping the terror that came with it to himself. He didn't spare Erik with the feeling of losing control and hurting somebody close to him however.

_Well, shit,_ was all Erik could offer.

"Charles has really quick reflexes, much better than you, anyway," Logan murmured without even opening his eyes. "And he also immediately took all means necessary. Not like you, humming and hawing about the consequences."

"Hey, I can leave again, you know?" Erik protested.

"With a survival instinct that tells you to go towards the danger instead of running away? Unlikely." Logan grinned. "You like me because I'm dangerous."

Erik swatted him. "I like you because I never had a pet before. I'm sure I told you that."

"Sure," Logan mumbled, wrapping his arms around Erik's torso and pulling him close to nuzzle at his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too," Erik sighed, patting Logan's arm.

Logan murmured something into Erik's neck.

"What was that?" Erik asked. He sighed contently as he cuddled more into the embrace. When he held out his arm, Charles cuddled up against his chest.

Logan suckled a little on Erik's shoulder. "I forgot to go check on the café today," he mumbled. "I should probably go now."

For a second, Erik tightened his grip on Logan's arm. He didn't want this. However, he understood what Logan was offering. "You should," he sighed. "In five or so minutes." He closed his eyes.

To Erik's genuine surprise, Logan complied with his request. He even stayed a little longer. If he hadn't thought so already Erik now knew they'd had one of the really bad nights. Logan had hoped to keep that side from Charles indefinitely. Now, one of them would have to do some explaining. Erik guessed he should be the one who should. Logan had to relive it once to tell him, he should do him the favor to at least help keep Charles safe from his memories of those months.

"I'll leave now," Logan eventually still said. He very carefully extracted himself from Erik's grip, before he rolled out of the bed. Erik pressed a kiss next to Charles' ear. "I'll just see him to the door. Then we talk," he whispered. When Charles nodded, Erik followed Logan out of the bedroom and to the flat's door.

Other people might have said "you don't have to go right now" in this situation. Erik didn't. He knew fully well that Logan needed to leave right now so he could at least pretend he was still able to somewhat protect Charles. He had always liked to be the one watching out behind everyone's back.

"I'll tell him," Erik said instead. "But don't stay away too long, I want have dinner some time soon. With my two favorite persons in the world. Not just with one of them." He hugged Logan. "Just, don't stay away too long, alright?"

For a long moment, Logan let himself just being held. "I'll stay no longer than an hour and take the bike," he eventually murmured. "Just making sure that everything is okay."

Erik kissed Logan. "Thank you for taking this stupid duty off my plate."

"No problem." Logan kissed Erik one last time, before he was out the door and gone.

Erik found Charles in the kitchen when he walked away from the door two minutes later. Charles was just making himself a tea, so Erik thought it was a good idea to brew a cup of coffee before they sat down to talk.

They didn't talk until they were both settled, warming their hands on the hot mugs. "Before I tell you about what was wrong with Logan last night, there's another thing I need to talk to you about first," Erik said. He took a deep breath. "I know you feel bad for how you stopped Logan. I know you feel horribly guilty, especially since..." He locked his eyes with Charles. "Next time, you know you'll act the same. With less and less hesitation each time. No matter how many times." Erik reached across the table to put his hand over Charles' so he could run his thumb over the back of it. "I've been there. I've sat next to Logan while I held him down by his bones for hours. More nights than I care to remember. It won't get easier. But..." He dropped his glance. "He would never, ever hold it against you. If you didn't protect yourself, though, I'm sure the universe could come to an end and Logan still wouldn't have forgiven himself even if he lived that long."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better about it?" Charles asked miserably. It didn't feel like it could.

Erik shook his head. "It's supposed to stop you regretting."

"Oh, now that's something different," Charles laughed in his desperation. "So," he took a deep breath. "Was that... Those nightmares, they are memories, right? Of what?"

Erik shrugged. "As far as I know yes," he sighed. "When he was in the military they glazed his fucking bones with freaking metal. That's about the long and short of it."

Charles' voice was nothing more than a whisper when he voiced the realization that nagged at him ever since Logan had stolen away. "He's afraid I might see his memories of it."

Erik looked at him long and hard. "Please don't tell him you already had seen some of them."

Charles' raised two fingers. "I swear."

"Thank you," Erik leaned across the table to steal a tea scented kiss from Charles. It was a taste he'd learned to love dearly in the past months.

"We should probably start dinner so we can eat as soon as Logan gets back," Charles suggested after several more kisses. "I'm a little better now. So I think I earned myself desert."

Erik smiled brightly. "Whatever you want, _Schatz_."


End file.
